Heretic (2024) | Film Review

What often goes unheralded in the world of film discussion is just how deeply layered horror can be as a genre. You can toss all the Oscars you want at Meryl Streep and Martin Scorsese, but if you want to truly penetrate the very fabric of the human experience, there is no better place to do it than transporting the populace to an idea that is uniquely terrifying. It is a shared experience, we are all – every one of us – frightened of something. In the world of writer-and-directors Bryan Woods and Scott Beck’s Heretic, that concept is religion.

Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East star as Sisters Barnes and Paxton, two Mormon missionaries conducting their daily duties of spreading the words of Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Heretic opens with the young women engaging in random discussions on mildly inappropriate subjects, while also demonstrating the struggles people of faith endure. Regardless of one’s own personal beliefs, sharing these beliefs with strangers is an unenviable task that people such as Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton do with unflinching pride and respect.

As they complete their list of people requesting additional information, the last stop is at Hugh Grant’s Mr. Reed’s humble abode. Mr. Reed, as the film’s titular Heretic, is absolutely fascinated by the concept of religion. So much so that he becomes increasingly engaged in a quid pro quo on ideology, philosophy, and theology. Barnes (street savvy and naturally suspicious) and Paxton (naïve and colloquial) quickly sense things are amiss once Mr. Reed’s wife – who is required to be present for the ladies to be inside the home – never arrives with her promised prize of a blueberry pie. From this point forward, the film escalates into a chess match of religious dissection before spiraling into the pits of hell.

Bryan Woods and Scott Beck have crafted a script and directed their film tightly wrapped in effectively genuine and nuanced dialogue, complimented with beguiling closeups, captivating the audience as each piece of this puzzle is played. The first half is so stacked with fascinating conversations and arbitrary yet insightful plunges down theological rabbit holes, while they taunt the audience with whatever may be coming, that is near impossible to not remain enamored, even when the final act loses its grip a tad. It’s as if Quentin Tarantino suddenly taught a religious philosophy class and handed the camera to Wes Craven. The suspense is palpable.

Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East play completely isolated parts yet remain tied together in spirit throughout the film. Each benefits and complements the other in a myriad of ways, and it deserves a special note that at no point – throughout the entirety of the film – did neither the script nor their performances mock these characters or their beliefs. Mr. Reed challenges Barnes and Paxton at every turn, and Thatcher and East beautifully handle the situation as thoughtful believers.

The true ace in this deck is Hugh Grant as Mr. Reed. When we first meet Mr. Reed, he is a delightfully eccentric older man with a seemingly endless fascination with religious doctrine. As his conversation with the young ladies continues, Grant effuses Mr. Reed with glimpses of an unstable mind. We know Mr. Reed is not all that he seems, maliciousness flitters in his eyes, yet Grant’s effortless charm defuses even the most hardened of skeptics as we barrel forward to what is really at stake for Barnes and Paxton.

I adore any cinematic offering that entertains while flicking your subconscious mind with thinking points. Any film that challenges our perception of belief or livens up our interest in constructive debate deserves a recommendation. Let alone one that uses the mask of horror to slip this key to meaningful conversation under the mat of genre storytelling. Heretic is a signal flare to keep an eye on the future of all involved, and in a history of exceptional performances, Mr. Reed is one of Hugh Grant’s best roles.